


Take the poison of your age

by risinggreatness



Series: Circle 'round the sun [11]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-19
Updated: 2014-09-19
Packaged: 2018-02-18 00:43:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2328992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/risinggreatness/pseuds/risinggreatness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bail muses on mother and daughter (companion piece to Weathering storms)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take the poison of your age

This year’s batch of first-year senators come with an abundance of cunning and politics, but no spirit; all ready to heel at Chancellor Palpatine’s command. It disappoints Bail.

They come to make a name for themselves, not for the good of the Republic.

Bail supposes it is too much to ask for one of these senators to show some spine, some drive – some passion.

The Galactic Senate runs a first-year mentorship program as a way to teach the young members about the senate’s inner workings. Bail believes it is an invaluable tool, but if these senators expect to get anywhere in Coruscant’s politics they need to seriously reconsider their attitudes.

Acting as a mentor is time-consuming. He doesn’t have to take the time out of his already busy schedule to give attention to a freshmen senator if they aren’t going to appreciate the advice he has to offer. Talking with them doesn’t do anything to alleviate his doubts about the first-years.

They want to please, not to serve.

There is one young senator Bail considers for a moment. He has an impressive résumé and piques Bail’s interest with his command of speech and his drive. Their opinions are drastically opposed, but that shouldn’t matter. The point of mentoring is to offer aid and advice, not politics; although similar points of view do tend to make the mentorship work more smoothly.

But the moment of consideration passes, as soon as the senator starts dropping names. Senator Clovis will not be receiving Bail’s mentorship.

Bail sighs. Perhaps Colton will get his way after all: Bail won’t take on a mentee this year.

Rubbing his eyes to keep awake, Bails hears a familiar voice calling his name. “Bail!”

“Onaconda! Good to see you!” the two men clasp hands in a firm shake. “Are you also here to select a student, as well?”

“If only I wasn’t. From what I’ve heard, they are an unappealing bunch.”

“I’m afraid I can’t disprove those rumors, Onaconda. We’ll have to settle for the lesser of several evils and make something out of them.”

Something sparks in the rodian’s eyes as Bail speaks. An idea is growing in his mind, Bail can see it and his anticipation is great. He can’t remember the last time his friend came up with an idea Bail regretted being a part of.

“There is one freshmen senator who, I believe, shows promise. Unfortunately, she won’t let me have her for myself. She thinks my friendship with her family will change how I mentor her and she won’t have it. She’s instructed me to nudge a mentor in her direction, in addition to selecting my own pupil.”

He chuckles to himself – a private family joke, no doubt.

Bail trusts Onaconda’s judgment, but something holds him back this time.

“Where is this promising young senator hiding?” Bail asks skeptically.

“She’ll be here soon. When I left her, she was having a meeting with her fellow representatives from Naboo. They’re lucky to have her. There are days I wish I still had her level of tenacity. Well, I don’t think I’ve ever had her level of tenacity. Ah! There she is!”

Onaconda points across the chamber to where the doors have just opened to allow a young woman into the room.

She’s very pretty; it’s the first thing anyone in the room notices about her, but they don’t seem to notice anything else.

Bail does.

He notices the way that the girl carries herself and the expression on her face. Both reveal she is ready to work, to learn – to serve. There is a hint of uncertainty and exhaustion too.

He recognizes the toll being a representative in the Galactic Senate takes. It’s hard for Bail to remember the last time he was completely certain of something, or the last time he had a full night’s sleep.

Onaconda moves toward her, but Rush Clovis beats him there. She blushes when the boy speaks to her, but doesn’t make an effort to hide her relief when Onaconda reaches her. The familiarity between them shows as she takes the arm he offers and leads her toward Bail.

“Senator Organa, I would like to introduce to you Senator Padmé Amidala, the new senator from Naboo.” Bail bows his head respectfully to the girl before him.

The uncertainty and exhaustion vanish. Before him stands an abundance of confidence: young, naïve, and idealistic.

And she hasn’t even said a word; it is one of those things a previously young and naïve senator can recognize in an instant. Both of those traits will fade. Time will take the youth. Experience will take the naivety. One can only hope the experience will take the naivety away before time can exact its toll.

There are those who claim youth is a disadvantage in politics, but Bail has always found that to be rubbish. Old-timers are stuck in their ways; fresh blood forces them out.

He only hopes she holds onto her idealism. It’s an easy thing to lose in a chamber of jaded senators.

“Padmé this is Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, an esteemed colleague and a personal friend of mine.”

She makes her bow and greets him, “It is an honor to meet you Senator Organa. I have heard a great deal from Onac – Senator Farr about your work; I admire it truly. But…”

“No need to hesitate, what about my work do you disagree with?”

“Alderaan’s agreement with the Trade Federation.”

The words can’t pour out of her mouth fast enough.

“This may be a strictly personal grievance, but I believe you have done your system a disservice by agreeing to Trade Federation mandates. By entering into this agreement you significantly increase Alderaan’s importing and exporting profits – which is an understandable decision – but puts you in a position to be manipulated by disreputable people. Alderaan is one of the wealthiest systems in the galaxy; you could have easily made a more expensive deal with a less dubious trading factor. By making those types of deals you could have lessened the Federation’s grasp on the Outer Rim and allowed other legitimate businesses through to planets like Tatooine. Jumping on board with the Federation strengthens their position in the galaxy and gives them the opportunity to screw you should they choose to.”

It takes her moment to realize what she just said. Senator Amidala claps her hands over her mouth to keep herself from saying any more.

“Oh gods. I can’t believe I just said that.”

She glances at the rodian for reassurance; Onaconda wears an expression of pride. Senator Amidala may refuse to have him as a mentor, but she still looks on him as a pillar of strength.

Bail laughs and the young senator flushes in embarrassment.

“There aren’t many who would call me out on that decision. A mistake, no doubt, but not my only, not my worst, and certainly not my last. One of my first senate votes and my decisions were based purely on what would benefit Alderaan. It took me a while to accustom myself to the notion I was meant to serve both my system _and_ the Republic.

“True, I put Alderaan under the yoke of the Trade Federation, but rejecting their offer would not have lessened their control on the Outer Rim because they have no hold on the Outer Rim. The Outer Rim is mostly controlled by the Hutts, a crime family based off of Nal Hutta, who make most of their money marketing slaves. The reason the Republic can’t make a difference for planets like Tatooine is because they are caught between the Hutts and the Trade Federation. It’s a rock and a hard place and there is no room for us to make things better.

“You haven’t been out of Naboo politics for long, Senator Amidala, but you will learn quickly. Every good decision you make will have grey attached to it. There is never an easy solution.”

Senator Amidala is stunned, this time not by her own blunder. The enormity of the Republic is disheartening. But there’s something else: she’s reevaluating.

“Then we come at them both.”

It is Bail’s turn to be astounded. It’s not the first time this has been suggested, but Bail has never heard it proposed with such force.

Someone taps him on the shoulder from behind. His secretary reminds him he is supposed to be at a meeting in five minutes, but he doesn’t want to leave now he’s found something to talk about and someone to discuss it with.

This young woman will see real work accomplished.

But it is a rare day when Bail can manage to be on schedule and there is nothing more attractive, on a short-term basis, than a full night’s sleep.

“Senator Amidala, I must be off, but I hope we may continue this discussion at a later time. It was a pleasure to meet you and I hope you won’t mind if I select you as my first-year senator.”

“It would be an honor,” she accepts graciously with a delighted smile.

“Wonderful. Padmé, Onaconda, I will see you again soon.”

\----------

The anticipated question was as unexpected as her insistence they keep their commitment on Coruscant. They should be at home, on Alderaan, grieving with its people for their queen, his beloved Breha; not in this _Imperial_ Senate meeting.

An earlier Senate would have understood the last minute cancellation; the current one would suspect foul play. His daughter made a smart, convincing argument.

His daughter.

Not a lie, but not quite the truth. By name and nurture, she is theirs. By spirit and nature, she belongs to others.

Leia was told a long time ago she was adopted. It wasn’t until Breha’s death she exhibited any interest in the identity of her birth parents. It is as if losing her made Leia cling to whatever other family she might still have. As if, somehow, he isn’t enough.

_“Who were they?”_

Bail has always been honest with Leia, but he wasn’t prepared to answer _that_ question. It is the one truth he can’t divulge, not without endangering her.

He gave her Padmé’s assumed name, the vague circumstances of her death. He told her he knew nothing of her father. It is the biggest lie he’s ever told. And the only one he’s ever told to Leia.

Bail did know Anakin Skywalker. He knew him quite well, in fact. They served the Republic together, but that’s not how Bail knew him best. Truth is, most everything Bail knows about Leia’s birth father, he learned through raising her. Anything not instantly recognizable as Padmé must be Skywalker.

Her rapt attention is wholly her mother. But the way she scowls at Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin is all Skywalker.

It is so different from how Bail knew her mother. In their years of service, Padmé displayed the greatest spirit and resilience. He cannot begin to fathom how she fought on after the dissolution of the Galactic Senate. So much of her life was destroyed within a matter of weeks, but she held her head high; aiding Bail in the formation of the Rebel Alliance. There were days her confidence wavered; her idealism never did.

As much as Leia is like her mother, Bail supposes she is her father's daughter through and through. As one of the few who knows the truth about Skywalker, it troubles Bail, but he takes comfort in Padmé’s virtues obscuring the worst of Skywalker.

All that she is comes from them.

Not for the first time Bail wonders what Leia has taken from himself. From Breha.

Padmé and Skywalker had such strong dispositions. Always go, never stop. He and Breha were never that way. He thinks it unlikely her nurture was enough to overtake her nature.

The only thing he believes _he_ passed onto his daughter is her aptitude for politics, but even that was Padmé. The only thing left to be done was hone it.

“And with that we will take a ten minute recess,” announces the Grand Moff.

His daze is broken. Bail cannot remember the last time he ignored a senatorial meeting so completely.

He cannot understand why the Emperor puts up this farce government. It accomplishes nothing and hides less.

There is murmuring and shuffling of chairs as the crowd around the table disperses.

Leia reviews her notes. She is forbidden from speaking during official meetings as part of their deal. She’s coped thus far by taking comprehensive notes and later recounting to him how she would have responded. If given the chance, Bail is sure her input would be invaluable in a _different_ Senate.

But most senators and moffs would not take kindly to being corrected by a ten-year old girl.

“Senator Organa, I do believe we have been boring you.”

Tarkin makes his way over to Bail. He is followed, like a shadow, by Viceroy Sentepeth Findos.

The viceroy’s presence only serves as a reminder of a time Bail shackled Alderaan to the Trade Federation for a few cheap imports. Through Padmé’s efforts Alderaan slipped out of that damning connection.

Now the Federation finds itself dangerously chained to the Empire.

“Not at all, Grand Moff,” Bail lies. “My mind was otherwise occupied with my late wife and my family,” he says tersely, a pathetic, if somewhat truthful, excuse. “I will be more alert.”

“I’m sure you will.” The Grand Moff smiles crookedly. “And who is this young lady?” he asks, taking a sudden interest in the girl who has been glaring at him for near an hour.

“My daughter, Princess Leia. I have been grooming her to take my place.”

One day, when he isn’t there anymore; she will have to take up his mantle: Alderaan, the Senate, the Alliance.

Leia regards Tarkin shrewdly as she curtsies.

“Tell me, Grand Moff; does Viceroy Findos enjoy being held on your leash or does he willingly follow you about like a dog?”

Bail tenses.

It is not unlike Leia to be blunt, but she agreed to keep her tongue to herself.

“Charming.” The corners of his mouth twitch into another unsettling smirk. “I hope this doesn’t mean we shall be losing you, Senator.”

Even with the change of subject, Bail does not relax. “Not for some time, Grand Moff. But, surely, an early start never hurt.”

“Indeed,” he holds onto the last syllable with his teeth. He returns Leia’s glare.

A group of representatives reenter the room and Tarkin leaves the Organas to speak with them.

“You shouldn’t have said anything, Leia,” Bail quietly scolds. “That was our one condition when I agreed to bring you to Coruscant and you disobeyed me. We are leaving first thing tomorrow.”

“But father, I only said what is true. I’ve heard you say the same thi –”

“In private! It doesn’t do any good to antagonize Grand Moff Tarkin. He is a man well known for his retribution. Don’t give him any reason to bring it down on you.”

Ashamed, Leia looks down at her feet.

The group is nearly finished reassembling. Bail looks forward to the meeting’s rapid conclusion; he is ready to return home.

It is like a frost on the back of his neck when he hears it: the deep, mechanical breathing. All else stops.

There is no sound, no movement, save for the black figure entering the chamber. Hate is Vader’s harbinger and death lives in his wake.

Senators remove themselves from his path. Sentepeth Findos visibly shakes. Some try to escape through the open door, but with a gesture of his hand they are trapped.

Only Tarkin is unaffected by his presence.

Fear for himself means nothing, compared to what Bail feels for his daughter. She doesn’t know – can’t understand – the danger her mere presence puts her in. It takes every ounce of willpower to resist the urge to grab Leia and run.

One thought echoes, again and again, in his mind as he watches the Sith Lord, “We should never have come.”

Vader does not heed the only child in the room, but Leia is transfixed.

Leia loses the fighting spark in her eye; it is replaced by an expression Bail can’t read. There is apprehension, and something he only saw on the faces of Jedi. He didn’t understand it then either.

Bail keeps a close eye on both Leia and Vader. Any sign of recognition, from either of them, and they are lost. Coruscant is a trap, one that will never let the offspring of Anakin Skywalker escape.

The second half of the meeting transpires in relative silence. Tarkin speaks and the only responses he receives are murmurs of accord and Vader’s lifeless breath. Before, there was debate, now there is only compliance. Everything Tarkin proposes passes.

The conclusion of the meeting comes and its attendees leave swiftly.

“Just a moment, Senator Organa.”

The Organas don’t make their departure quick enough and Tarkin apprehends them. Vader follows as Sentepeth Findos before, but instead of the heeling neimodian, Vader follows as brute force.

“I would like to thank you for your cooperation today. It was most effective in bringing this matter to a palatable resolution for all,” Tarkin gloats.

For the first time Vader looks at Leia.

His body is too tense to do anything but nod; Bail can’t abide what he and the others have agreed to, and the Grand Moff knows it, but there is only one thing that matters to Bail now.

“Well, don’t let me keep you. I do hope I can count on your support in the future, Senator.”

“Of course, Grand Moff,” Bail says as he takes Leia by the shoulders, gently pushing her past Tarkin and Vader.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Princess Leia. I will watch your political career with great interest.”

Leia looks back and smiles weakly in reply.

Vader is still focused intently on Leia as they leave. If there is any trace of recognition, the mask conceals it.

The Organas return to Bail’s apartments in silence and Leia goes to pack her things, their nightly discussion forgotten. Bail rubs his eyes, trying to wake up from this nightmare.

There are few genuine evils in the galaxy; two of them came too close to his daughter today.

**Author's Note:**

> See author bio for discussion on this 'verse.


End file.
